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7.6.5 Applications and Perspectives

The technologies reviewed in this document underline the importance of nanotechnology in therapeutics and the role played by nanotechnology in combating some of the chronic diseases, such as cancer.  Areas in drug delivery where nanotechnology can make a difference include:

• developing systems that improve the solubility and bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs
• designing delivery vehicles that can improve the circulatory presence of drugs
• eliminating or minimising toxicity
• increasing specificity
• targeting drugs to specific cells or tissues
• developing delivery systems for slow release
• improving vaccine adjuvants and delivery
• developing novel nanostructures that can be used in specific applications, e.g. ocular, cancer therapy, neurology, orthopaedics

Nanotechnology-based therapeutics have the potential to significantly impact on the pharmaceutical industry.  Smaller companies can afford to develop novel formulations of off-patent drugs, but may not have the capital to invest in a costly and lengthy drug discovery and approval process.  This may encourage more partnerships, licensing and co-development of products.  Also, until relatively recently the pharmaceutical industry generated revenue from huge blockbuster drugs that sold many millions of units worldwide.  With a trend towards personalised medicine emerging, in part enabled through nanotechnology, this huge market for a single product may no longer be there.  Therefore, a new approach to the drug discovery and development process may be required.  However, many novel nanotechnology-based delivery systems enable the delivery of insoluble drugs, opening up larger regions of ‘chemical space' for exploration.  Lead compounds previously rejected due to solubility issues may now be feasible and useful drug candidates.

However, the novel properties and characteristics that bring new benefits in drug delivery also bring new challenges in risk management and toxicity.  Some of these novel characteristics are poorly understood or studies.  Presently, systems made from natural or GRAS components, such as liposomes or albumin nanoparticles, appear to have the most potential.  This is both due to their minimal toxicity concerns and the precedent set by existing products.  Other systems such as CNTs, while promising, raise a number of toxicity issues.  Until these are addressed CNT-based delivery systems are not likely to appear as therapies.

In order to take nanotechnology-based medical products forward to the clinic, it is necessary to address the risk issues simultaneously, including any novel risks resulting from the nanoscale properties of the materials used.